Cycle Away! Hawaii Visitors Who Bike Will Soon Get a Boost

Hawaii visitors who want to cycle around Honolulu will soon be able to “hop-on and hop-off” at their leisure! Starting this summer, Honolulu will join the 60 or so other U.S. cities that have bikeshare programs.

According to a press release, Secure Bike Share will partner with Bikeshare Hawaii to finance and operate 1,000 bikes at 100 stations from Chinatown to Diamond Head.

Bikeshare Hawaii CEO Lori McCarney says this is how it works: The bikeshare system is an urban program in which users to rent bicycles and drop them off at various stations around town.

System users will be charged $3.50 for a single ride up to 30 minutes, according to Bikeshare Hawaii’s website.

They’ll also be able to buy a $15 monthly pass for unlimited rides lasting up to 30 minutes, or $25 monthly passes that allow unlimited rides up to 60 minutes.

The new program will allow bicyclists to ride from Diamond through Waikiki at their leisure.

McCarney said she hopes the system will give a boost to bicycle use across Honolulu’s urban core. “We want people to have more choices in how they get around,” she said. “We think that bike-share is really going to do that.”

Although the system will benefit both residents AND visitors, the program took a while to get rolling. According to the Honolulu Star Advertiser, several years ago city consultant Nelson Nygaard recommended Honolulu build a bike-share program with as many as 1,700 bikes and 180 stations. McCarney said her group has studied the market, and it’s confident the scaled-down bike-share will still be self- sustaining and profitable enough for Secure Bike Share to see a return on its investment.

For Hawaii visitors who prefer to bike around town, the system means you’ll no longer have to rent bicycles and turn them in by a certain time. Instead, you can join the bikeshare community on a single-ride basis. For visitors who plan to stay a month or more, you can buy the monthly pass. Plus, in most cases, biking is a healthier and less-costly alternative to renting a car.

Bike stations like this will be placed around town making rental pick up and drop off simple and convenient.

You’ll also notice many of the bike stations are located in the heart of Waikiki, which is convenient for visitors staying in one of the many Waikiki hotels, close to beaches and other activities. Imagine being able to leave your hotel, hop-on a bike, cycle to your Waikiki surf and stand-up paddleboard lesson, then return your bike at another nearby station!

No word yet on exactly when the program will officially roll-out, but it appears this summer is when you could start seeing the bike stations. So, if your plans involve visiting Hawaii this summer or later, you may want to hold-off on renting that car!